Reviews of Myakka River State Park

Rating:

10

9

10

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Jun 2014 -
$22.00

We love this campground! Some of the roads had some standing water due to lots of rain, but not a big deal. Bathrooms here are always spotless thanks to the volunteers. Sites are spread out and nice sizes. Also have lots of pull thru sites and plenty for a 40' MH easily! Staff is always friendly.....love fishing on the bridge, even though I don't catch much, watching all the gators and birds is always fun. Plenty of deer roaming the marshes during the day as well as dusk! One of our favorite stays in the Florida State Park system! - LaMonte

Apr 2014 -
$28.00

It was very confusing trying to figure out where to camp based on the on-line information. So, to sort it out continue reading. There are three campgrounds. None of the campgrounds are actually on the lake. Big Flats campground is the furthest into the park at 2.8 miles past the entrance. There is water and good, solid 50 amp service. This is where we stayed and it was very nice. Spaces were close but vegetation provided some privacy. There are camp hosts and it is relatively quiet. The road that goes past to the boat and tram tours is busy during the day, but calms down at night. We did not use them, but the restrooms and showers seemed to be good. There is a gray water dump station but not one you can reach by driving. The only dump station for the park is along the main park road about a mile from the entrance. The Old Prairie campground is close to the park entrance. The sites are very close together and it has a very old feel. We were glad we did not stay there. The new, modern, very nice campground is the Palmetto Ridge campground. It has full hookups and is very nice. We would probably stay in this CG if we visited here again, but we were quite pleased with Big Flats. As noted, this is a beautiful park with lots of good biking. Just be aware that some of the trails/roads are sandy and hard biking. We were not able to get satellite because of tree cover. We had very spotty Verizon data, sometimes 4G and sometimes nothing. We would certainly stay here again. - TheJim

Apr 2014 -
$30.00

Palmetto Ridge camping area is the newest gem in Myakka River State Park. Large sites, clean, modern facilities. Plus Myakka River State Park is our FAVORITE bicycling spot in Florida for spotting birds and wildlife. - from Latte Land

Reviews of Sarasota Lakes Resort (A 55+ Park)

Rating:

7

9

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Mar 2013 -
$40.00

Established park with mostly park models and a few spots for visiting RV's. Very clean and well maintained. Friendly, helpful staff. Gated at night with card access. Quite near airport and planes can be annoying, especially during the day. We would return. - Wandering Wishnies

Aug 2011 -
$32.00

Park is a full time over 55 park that rents out spaces as they are available. Park is exceptionally clean & well taken care of. We stayed for a month. Swimming pool is nice. Locked gates at night...access with a card. Every spot has a patch of grass and usually a tree or some shrubbery. I really liked this place. Only reason for a 9 is because they don't have a fenced dog run. Other than that, FIVE stars!! - bfox74

Reviews of Sarasota Sunny South RV & Mobile Home Resort (55+ park)

Rating:

7

9

9

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Dec 2014 -
$54.00

The Staff is friendly albeit a bit always in your space so to speak. The place is so small and staff personnel everywhere...we often felt we could not do anything without first seeking approval. In spite of the small size of what amounts to little more than an RV parking lot, big rigs can maneuver fairly easy. This is far from a campground and more of a place to stay while the attraction being location location location. It is right in the midst of all the Sarasota attractions and beaches etc. The RV sites are all crushed sea shells and gravel and each site had a nice cement pad with picnic table on it presenting a very clean environment. The resort is visually appealing with a beautiful pool and a community Tiki hut complete with televisions. Yet we never used either. One day we asked the office personnel if we could pay to allow three friends (all adults) join us at the pool. Ironically there was not a soul using the pool, and yet we were told the rules allow only 2 guests. Thus we and our "3" friends did not use the pool and found other activities for the day elsewhere. It was a lose lose for everyone. They lost $60 ($20 per guest) and we lost an afternoon at the pool with our guests. I understand the need for rules. But this just seemed petty. WIFI was excellent as was the cable and my wife's Verizon and my Sprint phones had excellent signals. We came here because our aforementioned friends live very close (a block away). Others come here for the aforementioned "location" being near all the Sarasota activities. Again this is not a campground and after a week we felt we had moved into a city, and between all the traffic noise and construction across the street, nearly daily fire sirens, etc ...we soon longed for a real campground with some peace and quiet. Not surprising, such a small community appears to have it's cliques and without experiencing them, we heard from others their dissatisfaction's etc. This is mostly 55 and older and it shows...lots of opinionated people, lots of rules, and we just did not feel welcome and relaxed. We moved on. It serves our need as a perfect location to spend time with our friends a block away, else we would never come here. - Denny Pike

Jan 2014 -
$59.00

The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is location. This little resort is packed into the middle of the city. I Love to be close to nature. But,then again, this location is exceptional for easy shopping,getting to the beach etc. The entire place is immaculate, the spaces are easy to back into and the roads adequate for our 45 foot zephyr. There are individual TV's in front of each piece of equipment in the gym; he pool is kept at 85 degrees no matter the temp. The staff is very helpful,warm and friendly. There were no spaces in Sarasota for our overnight stay but the manager got us in to help out one of their regulars who had to leave their lot for which they had paid for five months. this was due to a family emergency. The manager worked hard to fill their space every night and apply those charges against their long term renter's costs. many planned activities and a free breakfast buffet every Saturday morning and dinner on Wednesday evening. there is so much they do above and beyond. - glowingheart

Jun 2012 -
$24.00

This is our third time here in 2 1/2 years and the park has been improved every time we've returned. Very neat and clean, with pleasant, helpful staff. We would rate the park a 10, except for the crushed stone/shell sites. Wi-Fi is strong and reliable. Very convenient to beach and city. We will definitely return. - Wandering Wishnies

Reviews of Sun-N-Fun RV Resort

Rating:

7

6

7

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Jul 2014 -
$50.00

Park sites were fine and there was plenty of room. However, SURPRISE... they charge extra to use their $5M fitness center. We only stayed there for the use of that facility. The charge was $50 per night which seemed high for July. However, we went for the amenities. When we were checking in, they said the fitness center was an extra $6 per person. We nixed the idea because of the already high nightly rate. I'm not sure what else they charge for but they seem to have lots of rules. - Bill Bell

Mar 2014 -
$69.00

This campground is designed as a old-folks place. It is clean, appears to have lots of activities for anyone wanting to participate. It is near shopping of all kinds. It feels like a camper parking lot. Our site was difficult to get into and is very close to the next campers. Sarasota is a lovely area of Florida and I would like to spend more time in this area but would probably try another campground. - Sunshine8363

Mar 2014 -
$60.00

The amenities (pool, life center, activities) are first class, but the RV sites are tight and run down. We would not return. - User3267

Reviews of Turtle Beach Campground

Rating:

10

7

7

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Jan 2015 -
$60.00

If you love the beach, this is a near heaven experience. We would suggest taking a spot close to the beach end of the campground. Watch the sunset every evening, and watch the gentle waves of the Gulf every day. The spots are tight, but we are only in a 17 foot RV. The showers and bathrooms seemed recently tiled and clean. We want to return again. - Vic and Marsha

Feb 2014 -
$55.00

We liked this campground and will be back for 7 nights in late April, so why the so-so rating? Primarily because you can't see the beach from the sites and the beach is not that great, with two steep terraces to the water. Sites are sandy with overhanging trees that will dump stuff on your rig but provide some shade. There is some noise from the adjacent Turtle Beach public parking until late at night, and the sites nearest the road get road noise, but traffic at this end of Siesta Key is not heavy. Sites are really designed for up to 30' motorhomes. Bigger rigs will struggle to get situated as will trailers and 5ers due to the narrow campground road. Hookups are all situated at the rear of the site making for a 20' sewer hose run for us. Bathroom is old but fairly clean, laundromat is a nice plus. Like others we enjoyed Turtles Restaurant across the street with a bay view (not the pub with a street "view"). So in spite of my stated concerns we'll be back. - Phaetonman

Jun 2012 -
$32.00

As other reviews state, the spaces are small but since we were in a 17' Casita travel trailer this was not an issue. Our site had full hookups with Wi-Fi (local 20 TV channels available for small additional fee). It is basically one long street with 40 sites. Has security gate and is operated by Sarasota County. It is all about location, location, location. Walk 100 yards or less west and you are on Turtle Beach, walk same distance east and you are at Turtle Beach Pub and Marina. If you are a beach person this it it. Beach, boating, kayaking. All the things we love. Stayed in June so the summer rate was great. $32.00ish. Will be back. - Jay/Ang

Reviews of Turtle Beach Campground (formerly Gulf Beach Campground)

Rating:

5

7

7

Clean Restrooms:

Clean Showers:

Sep 2013 -
$38.00

I originally reviewed this as a "2" because of not being able to get into the campground site and not getting a response when I wrote asking for a refund. However, on my second attempt emailing them, I did get a written and a verbal response, and I was told that my money is being credited back to my account. The lady explained to me that the sites are small and tight and that situations like mine do arise. She also said that the sites are easier to get into if you are in a motor home instead of a travel trailer. However, that it is a nice campground to access to one of the most beautiful beaches. - AhmaCamper

Jul 2012 -
$40.00

I gave it a 7 due to the lack of "perks" but, really, the location is THE PERK. I love this place! Have reservations soon and cannot wait. Hoping there will be no red tide but other than that, I expect to have a wonderful time there. It isn't fancy, it's "old Florida" at it's best and staying there takes me back in time. The front spaces that a previous poster stated had been closed off has been converted to picnicking areas for campers with nice tables, grills, etc. This area is fairly well shaded. If you are looking for a "resort" try Sun n Fun, Royal Coachman, or maybe Horseshoe Cove. If you really wanna go to the beach to camp, this is your spot :) - luvmyroo

Jul 2008 -
$33.00

When we first arrived, my wife and I did not like the place at all. This is probably one of the least appealing places we've ever stayed. The sites were very small, and it is basically setup like an alley with dirt camp-sites on either side and one small paved road through the middle. The campsites on the right backup to a 6 foot wood privacy fence with a couple 2 story condos/houses right next to it. One of the houses overlooked the campground. The left side backed up to a chain-link fence with a parking lot for beach access to Turtle beach and a boat ramp. Not very private. There was only one bath-house/laundry and it was showing it's age and had a slight odor of bleach. The toilets were clean and it was air-conditioned, but the place just look dilapidated, with rusty hinges on doors, broken shower latches, pitted shower heads, elongated toilet seats on round toilets, etc... We stayed for a week, and after a few days at the beach the convenience started to grow on us and we began to overlook the shortcomings of the campground. The people in the campground were very friendly, although a couple were inconsiderate blasting their TV's outside and talking very loudly to relatives on speaker-phone. The beach was nice, although some may not like the sand which is brown and black with a rough consistency and tends to stick to everything. There is a white-sand beach further down Siesta Key called Siesta beach if you don't mind driving, but if I were going to do that I would've stayed somewhere else. The park next door had a boat ramp on the inter-coastal water-way. I tried to fish the canal, but had no-luck. There's also bait shop and boat/kayak rentals at the marina across the street. I give it a 7 overall but only because of the beach, the campground would have only gotten maybe a 3 or 4. Also, for some reason they closed off the first 6 sites closest to the beach (the best ones), maybe for environmental reasons now that the county owns it. We paid a weekly rate of $205, plus $14/week for cable and $14/week to run your AC. - rbobcat99